Tuesday, January 16, 2018

Welcome Hank..............

I'd like to introduce you all to Hank, the newest member of our family. Isn't he gorgeous? Hank is an Irish Doodle, Dad is an Irish Setter and Mom is a standard Poodle. Hank was born on October 26, 2017 and was adopted on January 14, 2018. He is so wonderful and we are all a bit giddy over him. I mean we stare at him and think every little thing he does is marvelous.

I wasn't really intending on getting a puppy quite so soon. I have been watching adds in the paper and looking at the thousands of websites out there. Nowadays you have to fill out applications online and put down deposits not really knowing what puppy you will get and when of course. I was really overwhelmed by it all. When we got Max we saw an add in the paper, called up and drove a few hours north to get him the very next day. There was a litter of 7 pups and Max picked us out the second we got there. Now it is not that simple. I have been looking and wondering how to make it a bit easier when I saw an advertisement in the paper about Irish Doodle pups. I had never heard of them so I looked them up and was just amazed by their cuteness. I called, left my number, and got no call in return. I let it go thinking they were all taken but then the next Sunday there it was again. I started to see it every day and last week I called again. I immediately got text messages telling me there were four pups, one black girl, one black boy, one blond boy and one rare chocolate brown boy. After a bit of discussion texting back and forth on Friday evening, we asked to see them and it was arranged for last Sunday, when Mr. 20 could drive over and join us. Can I say that when we saw this little boy our hearts collectively melted? He stood out in a sea of dark squirming puppies. He just sat there looking at us, like saying finally you are all here. My husband picked him up and Hank snuggled right in, he was passed to each older boy and finally to me, and frankly we didn't even have to look at the other ones. They were cute and all but we had found our boy.

It is funny, Max left such a hole in our hearts when he left us. Hank, with his brown nose and deep green eyes is set to fill that hole up again. He won't be Max, we wouldn't want that, we want him to just be Hank. We are a better family with a dog, does that even make sense? We are softer and kinder. We make silly sounds and talk in baby voices and get all sappy and silly with a dog. Little Buddy is beside himself excited. They wrestle and Little B gets jumped on and his ears nipped at, we are trying to put a stop to that but Hank is a baby after all. Little Buddy and Hank will grow up together, every little boy or girl needs that uncompromising, unconditional love. We all do. Be prepared for puppy overload my friends, I mean how can you not take a million photos of this adorable boy?

My oldest son named him just in case you were wondering. Only after we had decided on the name did I tell him what a hank of yarn was.

57 comments:

He is adorable! I am so glad he found you! Sometimes a furry love comes to us when we least expect it. Little Buddy will enjoy having this dog to grow up with. I am so happy for all of you. Hugs!! Oh and bring on the pictures!!

What a sweetie. And I totally understand about holes. When Tux died, there was a HUGE one. Rupert helped a little, but it's really Burton who's helped it heal. Tux will always have a spot in my heart, but it's nice that that spot doesn't ache anymore.Congratulations!

I am squealing, he is utterly adorable. As you say, every boy needs a warm puppy in his life. Ours is loved by one and all, and it's especially nice for the biggest boy to have that unconditional love. Welcome little Hank, you are a lucky puppy to have found such a wonderful family. I'm wishing you many happy adventures together. CJ xx

My heart just melted. He looks so content, so happy. I truly believe that your dog chooses you. Ours all did. Every little boy needs a puppy to snuggle with and love. What a sweet boy you have found. And that name is absolutely perfect. :-)Blessings,Betsy

Congratulations, he is just cuter than can be. I know what you mean about being a better family, having a dog. Somehow they just bring everyone together, bringing out the soft side of every person in the family. Like you said, the baby talk and silliness. And, when there are disputes between family members, the dog is someone that everyone can agree to love. They are just goodness all around.

Ooooh he is just adorable,please post as many pics as you like.I'm so happy for you all.Like you say,there will never be another wonderful Max,he will be watching.Hank will make you laugh when you need it,like pups do as they are learning and the world is a great place with all it's wonder to explore.Huge Hugs xxxx

Squeeeeeee........!!!! When Dear Departed Doggie went to heaven I said no more dogs and then....I couldn't stop looking at dogs on the internet. That's how Pup came to be and it was the best thing ever to fill up that hole in my heart. I'm sure Dear Old Doggie would have approved. Hank is adorable!!! I love puppies.

Congratulations! He is indeed a beautiful boy and looks just perfect with the other three.I am not a dog person, but my vet-school son is obsessed with them, and he would completely agree that a dog makes a family better.LB and Hank are bound to be the best of friends!

Oh boy!! When I saw the photo on my blog list I couldn't wait to see more photos and hear the story!! How you found him is perfect too, as it was from a home and not a breeder and that makes all the difference! All of you look so happy to have him.. I'm just thrilled for you all. And I hope we get to see tons and tons of photos of him as he grows. Oh oh oh.. I'm so excited! Have fun with that darling boy! ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

I'm so, so happy for you and your family! Hank is so cute, and I know he's bringing all of you a lot of joy.

Thanks for the low down on how difficult it is to adopt a pet right now. My daughter had to go through a lot of red tape to adopt her rescue, who had been in the shelter for 8 months. A good thing in the end, animal abuse is terrible. Also, they want everything to be a good fit.

I'm so thrilled for you and your family. I know that Max will have left a great gaping hole in all of your hearts and only the love of another puppy will help that to heal. Hank is such a beautiful boy and I can see that he's going to get totally spoilt, just as he should. I never made the connection between his name and yarn until you pointed it out but how perfect is that?

Hank is gorgeous, I love his name. When I saw your blog title pop up, I wrongly assumed you were going to talk about yarn. Tho I'm a cat person, I agree they leave a huge hole when they go. Look forward to seeing more photos, Cathy x

I've been so behind in my blog reading and Oh My Goodness....I am so happy to see what you've been up to! How fun is this going to be for you all!? Hank is adorable and there's that Little B smile that I'm so fond of! I just can't wait to see all the upcomming puppy news!

I'm in love. Now I'm going to bug a lady who has absolutely no time for more photos. I'm jealous. I'm thrilled for you at the same time. Hank? Well cmon, that's perfect. This is going to be a really great match for LIl Buddy. Responsibility and joy at the same time. Maybe if we lived in a warmer climate Fireman would cave in on my dog requests. All of your son's look so handsome holding that boy. You look so happy. Max sent him of course.

Congratulations on adopting Hank into your family! He is a beautiful and sweet pup. We had an Irish Setter in our large family and she was a sweetheart who loved to RUN. I hope you enjoy your new addition to the family!

That is so exciting that you got a puppy! I love the name and when I went to read your post, I thought you were going to talk about a hank of yarn you bought! The perfect name for a knitter/crocheter's dog :) He is so cute! It is so nice to get a new pet and as you said, you aren't trying to replace Max they are different and he will always be special to you all. Welcome Hank! Looking forward to seeing more photos!

Oh Meredith! A new baby!He is beautiful! How wonderful for Buddy, You and your family. I m not ready yet for a new Pup since Angie passed past year. Plus We're traveling too much, but my heart is sooooo ready. CONGRATULATIONS and have fun with the new family addition!

I was so amused to read that your beautiful baby boy is named Hank. I wondered whether it was chosen due to the yarn connection. You won't believe this but I promise this is true - when we were naming our last little Dutch bunny, Max, one of the first names thrown into the ring was Hank - we were looking for a typical Dutch name for a Dutch bunny breed. When I saw that you had named your boy Hank, I was totally floored by the coincidence.

You said you were a better family with a dog and I love your reasons for saying so. I had never thought of a pet's role in a family in that way but you are so right. About all of it, including the unconditional love that children need that is so easily satisfied with the bond of a pet.

CONGRATULATIONS to all of you on your wonderful news and WELCOME HANK! xxx

I am overjoyed that you have a new “boy” to love! And I agree wholeheartedly- dogs make us all better families, better people and every single child should have the blessing of growing up with one. Each new one never replaces the deeply loved one we cherished and lived with for years before them but they fill new places in our hearts. They help ease our grief and bring new joy... the cycle of Life. Hank is Beautiful. I look forward to about a GAZILLION pictures of him and Little Buddy together ♥️~Danette